


Cold New World

by chileancarmenere



Series: Wishing In The Dark [5]
Category: Dragon Age
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-07
Updated: 2012-01-07
Packaged: 2017-10-29 02:22:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/314791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chileancarmenere/pseuds/chileancarmenere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danarius finds out about Isabela and Merrill being in town, and orders Fenris to take care of the problem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cold New World

**Author's Note:**

> Lyrics are from Tightrope by Ron Pope.

_I woke up before the sun_

 _Chased your ghost across the yard_

 _Through the fog and tumbling dark till you were gone_

 

He hardly dared to breathe, praying in quick jumbled bursts that Master would let him up and stop punishing him. He thought he would do anything that Master would not be angry with him anymore.

“Clean?” Master’s voice was whiplike. He nodded, nose hitting the floor as he did so.

Master lost interest. “Get up then.”

“You were right,” Magister Ladrius said, mildly. “He is obedient once more. I stand corrected.”

“It is the result of long and hard work.” Master sipped from his wine. “The effects of lyrium on the body are still poorly understood.”

“And he remembers nothing?”

“Nothing,” Master boasted. “I can speak of Isabela and Hawke around him all day and he will not show a flicker of recognition. He doesn’t even know that his memories were wiped. Part of the magic I performed is that he does not understand any discussion of his memories or how I erased them. To him, it’s just more discussion of magic; meaningless to him.”

“Effective. But the tattoos? They look different.”

“Erasing their old form is part of the memory removal enchantment.”

Fenris stood still and silent in the corner, eyes cast down. He knew from experience that it annoyed Master if he looked him directly in the eye. It was his duty to remain at hand until Master needed him. If the banquet went on all night, so be it.

It didn’t go on _all_ night, but it was the wee hours of the morning when the last magister left. Master sat back in his chair and heaved a sigh. Varania drew near him with a sycophantic expression. Fenris clenched his hands. He was obliged to be polite to Varania, but her presence irked him; he did not like how attentive she was to Master.

“It’s been a long night,” Master said eventually. “Are you tired, pet?”

“No, Master,” Fenris lied.

Master smiled thinly. “Indeed.” The smile faded as a guard came hurrying towards him. Unconsciously, Fenris shifted to a battle-ready stance; just in case.

“Sir.” The guard made a short bow. “Two women were seen crossing the river out of the estate.”

Master gripped the arms of his chair. “I assume you hunted them down and brought them back here.”

“They…they went to ground, sir. We couldn’t find them.”

Master looked at Fenris, and jerked his head. Fenris understood. He drew his broadsword and crouched low, sweeping the flat of the blade at the guard’s legs. The guard saw it coming too late. The heavy steel smashed into his knees, with two audible cracks. The guard screamed and collapsed, writhing in pain.

“Did you get a good look at them?” Master’s voice was cool as ever.

Unable to speak, the guard simply nodded, his face in a rictus of pain.“Good,” Master said. “Describe them to me. I expect that by tomorrow evening they will be here in front of me.”

Through gritted teeth, the guard spoke haltingly. “Woman and elf…woman had dark skin, wearing white, elf had black hair ‘n was wearing green…” He broke off and hissed. “Elf had a mage’s staff.”

Master nodded thoughtfully. He beckoned to Fenris. “Pet, listen to me. These two women are my sworn enemies. They’re trying to bring down Minrathous, destabilize it from the inside. If they find me, they will surely kill me.”

Fenris curled his hands into fists, feeling the lyrium in his skin spark. Master smiled and pulled gently on Fenris’ hair, bringing his ear down to his mouth. “They will come to the estate sooner or later. When they do, I want you to rip them apart. I want you to crush their hearts.”


End file.
